I recently visited the local charity LIVES at their base in Horncastle. The charity’s mission is to make sure that any individual who suffers a 999 medical emergency in Lincolnshire can be assured that they are surrounded by the best rapid response care available.
During the visit I met the CEO Nikki Cooke and discussed a number of the innovative initiatives the charity is currently undertaking as well as their plans to open a new base which will allow them to expand their operations.
I was especially interested to hear about their future Community Strategy which is based on the charity's belief that everyone should have the opportunity to learn life saving first aid. They aim to achieve this through developing high quality, knowledge-based training programmes that provide life-long first aid training for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly; to provide people with the skills and confidence needed to provide lifesaving first aid in an emergency. I am committed to supporting the charity in developing this important scheme and have invited LIVES to Parliament to discuss this further with other Lincolnshire MPs.
I was shown one of the charity’s lifesaving Critical Care Cars by local volunteer ‘Sheepy’. These vehicles allow Critical Care Doctors and Critical Care Paramedics to respond on the road in serious medical emergencies when there isn’t time to reach the nearest trauma centre. This includes serious interventions such as sedating patients, performing life-saving surgical procedures, putting the patient into a medically induced coma or reducing serious fractures which could otherwise compromise circulation and even lead to amputation.
LIVES is a truly inspiring charity that make a lifesaving difference to local people. I can't count the number of constituents who have been in touch with me over the years praising their incredible work.
It was fantastic to hear more about their current initiatives and exciting plans for their new site. It was particularly interesting to learn about the work that their critical care teams are able to assist with in the most serious emergencies.
I would like to thank Nikki Cooke, the LIVES CEO for showing me around and all of the staff and volunteers for the incredible work they do to help people across Lincolnshire. I look forward to welcoming LIVES to the House of Commons in the near future to discuss rolling out their future Community Strategy across the county.